How to compress a PDF to 200 KB
- Tap Choose PDF above and pick your file (or drop it on the box).
- The Target size (KB) is already 200. Change it if your portal states a different limit.
- Tap Compress PDF. The gauge shows the result against your limit; most files take a few seconds.
- Tap Download compressed PDF. Open it and check every page is readable before you upload it.
What fits in 200 KB: measured
| Document | Original | At 200 KB | Images kept at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-page phone scan | 6.34 MB | 197 KB | 1091 px |
| Fillable form with a photo (4 fields) | 3.18 MB | 176 KB | 1470 px |
| 2-page letter printed from Chrome, with a photo | 2.56 MB | 189 KB | 1470 px |
| Colourful certificate scan | 1.82 MB | 198 KB | 1584 px |
| 10-page phone scan | 34.12 MB | Not reachable with readable text (smallest: 276 KB) | — |
Test files: the documents above, made by us from phone photos and printed pages (the form has four fillable fields). Desktop Chromium on our test server, 27 October 2026; each took under 6 seconds. "Images kept at" is the long side of the page images after compressing. Every result kept its text and form fields. Sizes in decimal units (1 KB = 1,000 bytes), as the tool shows them.
At 200 KB a two-page scan keeps 1091-pixel pages, readable including most small print, and the form and letter keep 1470 pixels. Text that was typed into the PDF stays text: sharp at any zoom, selectable and searchable. The 10-page scan is the limit case: 20 KB per page isn't enough for readable pages, so it stops at 276 KB and says so.
For comparison, our previous compressor rebuilt every page as a picture: the same 2-page scan at 200 KB had pages around 595 × 841 pixels and no selectable text. Shrinking only the images keeps more detail where it matters.
How many pages fit in 200 KB
| Pages | Budget per page | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 200 KB | Close to the original on screen |
| 2 | 100 KB | Readable, including most small print (our test: 1091 px) |
| 3–4 | 50–67 KB | Readable at normal print size |
| 5–8 | 25–40 KB | Large text only; check every page |
| 10 or more | 20 KB or less | Usually unreadable (our 10-page scan stopped at 276 KB) |
From our measurements, about 50 KB per page kept 751-pixel pages (readable at normal print size) and about 100 KB per page kept 1091 pixels. Rows below 50 KB per page are estimates; always check the result.
Several documents, one 200 KB upload
Many portals give one upload box for several papers. Merge them into one PDF first (keeping only the pages you need), then compress the result here; the merge tool can also build the file under a size limit itself. To start from phone photos, JPG to PDF makes one PDF under 200 KB in one step.
If it can't reach 200 KB
PixKB tells you the smallest size it reached with text intact and why. If rebuilding the pages as images would get under the limit, it offers that (text stops being selectable and form fields become flat); if it wouldn't help, it says so. The guide to PDFs that stay too big covers every cause we've found.
Common mistakes
- Including pages the portal didn't ask for. A blank back side or an extra copy halves every other page's share of the limit.
- Not cropping scans. A table edge or the background around the paper uses part of the limit. Scanner apps crop automatically; see scanning a document for upload.
- Compressing an already-compressed copy again. Start from the original PDF each time you try a different limit.
- Uploading without checking. Open the result and zoom in on the smallest print before you submit.
- Splitting the limit wrong. If the portal has one limit for several uploads, check whether it applies per file or to all files together.
1,000 or 1,024 bytes?
Portals count a kilobyte either way. PixKB keeps the file at or under 200,000 bytes, so it passes a 200 KB limit whichever way the portal counts.
Frequently asked questions
Will 200 KB keep my document readable?
For one to four scanned pages, yes: our two-page scan kept 1091-pixel pages at 197 KB. Ten pages is too many for 200 KB.
Does it work on PDFs with both text and scans?
Yes, and that's where it helps most: the scanned parts are shrunk while typed text stays selectable and sharp.
Does compression change page size or orientation?
No. Pages keep their size and orientation; only the images inside change.
Will fillable form fields still work?
Yes. Our test form kept all four fields working at 176 KB.
My PDF is already under 200 KB. What happens?
You get your original file back unchanged.
How long does it take?
Under a second for our 2–3 MB test files and about 3 seconds for a 34 MB 10-page scan on a computer; phones take longer.
Is anything uploaded?
No. Everything runs in your browser, and your original file isn't changed.